NFL Proposes $40MM Salary Slash
The NFL has backed off of its pitch to place 35% of player salaries in escrow. Instead, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com hears, they’re now proposing a $40MM reduction of the 2020 salary cap and/or player benefits. Needless to say, that’s a non-starter for union leadership.
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“No thanks,” one anonymous player told Pelissero. “Not taking the COVID risk and (the) financial burden.”
The league, however, did make one key concession. Under their proposal, players would be permitted to opt out of the 2020 season by providing written notice by August 1. It’s not immediately clear whether those players would receive a portion of their salaries under that proposal, however. Ideally, the union would like those players to have full compensation – or something close to it – plus an accredited season towards free agency.
The clock is ticking for both sides, but we could see some movement today. League owners are expected to hold a virtual meeting this afternoon to huddle up on the training camp schedule, opt-outs, testing protocols, and other high-priority items. Reportedly, the NFL has agreed to a modification of the injured reserve rules that will allow players to be placed under a new “COVID-19” designation, should they test positive for the coronavirus.
Cardinals To Sign Kelvin Beachum
The Cardinals have agreed to sign Kelvin Beachum, according to John Gambodoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM (on Twitter). The former Jets blocker will ink a one-year deal and compete for a first-string job opposite of D.J. Humphries.
There was no room for Beachum in New Jersey after the Jets revamped their offensive line. Before the remodeling, Beachum started in 45 of his 48 games for the Jets across four seasons. For his career, Beachum has 99 starts under his belt for the Steelers, Jaguars, and Jets, with mixed results.
Beachum has struggled with penalties over the years. In 2018, he tied for the Jets’ team lead with seven accepted penalties and nine flags in total.
Some of his best work came with the Steelers early on in his career, though a 2015 knee injury sidetracked him. In 2014, he performed as an elite left tackle, ranking No. 5 on Pro Football Focus’ list. When he returned in 2016, he graded as just the league’s No. 63 ranked tackle out of 78 qualified players.
The Cardinals likely won’t be getting the 2014 iteration of Beachum, but he should provide solid backup support, at the very least. At maximum, he could be the club’s new starting right tackle.
Mychal Kendricks Medically Cleared
Mychal Kendricks has been medically cleared to resume playing, according to a source who spoke with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). That’s good news for the free agent linebacker, though he still has other hurdles to clear. 
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Kendricks tore his ACL late last season in the Seahawks’ thriller against the 49ers. It was a tough blow – up until that fateful game, Kendricks had started in all 14 of his games while racking up 71 tackles, three sacks, four passes defensed, and an interception.
Now, he’s healthy, but he’s also in legal limbo. Kendricks pleaded guilty to insider trading in September 2018, and his sentencing date has been postponed numerous times. His timeline will likely hinge on the pandemic, so it’s anyone’s guess as to when Kendricks will appear before the judge.
Technically speaking, Kendricks has the green light to join up with any team, and it stands to reason that he’ll draw some interest. His market value, however, figures to be depressed. Kendricks is coming off of a serious injury, nearing his 30th birthday in September, and hunting for work as owners and GMs fret over decreased revenue and cap room. And, of course, teams won’t be able to actually count on Kendricks’ availability for the 2020 season.
Vikings’ Anthony Harris To Play On One-Year Deal
Vikings safety Anthony Harris will play out his one-year tender, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). The sides are still talking, but the St. Paul Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson notes a deal is a “long shot” as the deadline nears (Twitter link). Per the franchise tag rules, the two sides will have to wait until next year before resuming extension talks. 
Harris took his time, but he eventually signed his one-year, $11.4MM tag. There was never a real threat of a holdout, though Harris was eager for a pay bump.
The advanced metrics position Harris as one of the league’s very best safeties and the market has advanced significantly in recent years. He graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 1-ranked safety last season, a campaign during which he intercepted six passes. A long-term extension for Harris would likely pay him upwards of $14MM per year, in line with the position’s salary leaders.
Minnesota will carry Harris’ lofty tag figure and Harrison Smith‘s $10.75MM cap number on its books this season. With Smith remaining the centerpiece of the Vikings’ secondary, it seems likely the Vikings will need to address his deal — which has fallen from first to 11th over the past four years. It remains to be seen if the Vikings will revisit extension talks with Harris next year. This will be the breakout performer turned 29 in June, so his next negotiations — with the Vikings or another team — will come just ahead of his age-30 slate.
Jaguars Receive Multiple Trade Offers For Yannick Ngakoue
The Jaguars have received multiple offers for Yannick Ngakoue, including one package that included a Pro Bowler, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). However, none of those offers have been to the Jaguars’ liking. Meanwhile, Pelissero hears that the unknown Pro Bowler wasn’t a fit for the Jaguars’ system. 
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Ngakoue’s camp is willing to table extension talks for any team that’s able to pull off a trade. Right now, a trade doesn’t seem likely. The Jaguars have been in a game of chicken with the 25-year-old edge rusher for months, and they have yet to blink.
As of this writing, Ngakoue is set to play out the 2020 season for a salary of $17.788MM. When the 4pm ET/3pm CT deadline passes, both sides will be formally barred from hammering out an extension until next year. In Ngakoue’s case, that’s strictly a formality – he has zero interest in staying in Jacksonville.
However, the two parties aren’t necessarily stuck with each other through the end of the season. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) points out, the Texans waited until August 31 of last year before shipping Jadeveon Clowney to the Texans. At last check, the Jaguars were seeking a first-round pick – plus more – for Ngakoue. But, over time, their asking price could come back down to earth. A 2021 third-round pick, for example, would be a slight upgrade over the 2022 third-round choice they’d get next year, via the compensatory pick formula.
NFL, Players Still At Odds Over Preseason
The preseason, in theory, is just weeks away. However, the NFL still has a major gap to bridge with its players. The league is still pushing for a two-game preseason while the NFLPA is countering with zero games (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com).
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Of course, that’s just one piece of the complicated puzzle. Players have also expressed concern about testing frequency, protections for players who might contract the coronavirus during the year, and related issues. The clock is ticking, but there could be some progress by the end of the week – NFL owners are set to huddle up via conference call on Friday. Meanwhile, the CBA dictates that the league’s rookies can report to their teams as early as Tuesday.
“We still don’t have answers,” one union source told Pelissero.
The NFLPA also wants higher-risk players to have the ability to opt out of their deals and still receive their salaries. In addition, they’ve requested an extra accrued season towards free agency for players with at-risk family members. The league is unlikely to cave on either issue and, for the most part, the league believes that it has the legal right to make these decisions, without the permission of the NFLPA.
Bengals’ A.J. Green Unlikely To Receive Extension
No surprise here. With hours to go before the franchise tag extension deadline, there’s little optimism that the Bengals and A.J. Green will come to an accord, as ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. Green has yet to formally sign his franchise tag, but the expectation is that he will play on it. There will be no holdout, and there will be no extension for the wide receiver – at least, until sometime after the 2020 season. 
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All along, Green has made it clear that he’ll show up for work, no matter what. That doesn’t mean he’ll be a happy camper, however.
“I have no problem with the franchise (tag). I don’t like it, but I’m not a guy that’s going to sit out the whole year,” Green said late last year. “But at the end of the day, that shows me they’re not committed to me. That’s fine. They have a business they have to run. As the player I have my own business, so if you do that I have to protect myself.”
“If you’re not committed to me long-term, I understand. There are no hard feelings. You have a business to run. All great businesses face difficult decisions. I understand that. For me, I have to make a big decision as well.”
Green, who will turn 32 at the end of the month, missed all of last season and roughly half of his 2018 campaign to injury. Before that, he was a Pro Bowler in each of his first seven NFL seasons. And, in every season in which he’s played at least 13 games, he’s topped 1,000 yards receiving.
Despite his age and injury history, the Bengals applied the one-year, ~$18MM tag to Green to keep him from reaching free agency. Green, meanwhile, wants long-term security at a rate that reflects his past accomplishments. Green didn’t get far in talks with the Bengals this year, but he is “fully healthy” and eager to reassert himself as one of the game’s premier offensive players.
No Progress For Patriots, Joe Thuney
The Patriots aren’t expected to hammer out an extension with Joe Thuney before this afternoon’s deadline, according to Ian Rapoport and Michael Giardi of NFL.com (on Twitter). With that, the offensive guard is set to play on a one-year, $14.78MM deal. 
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The Patriots caught everyone off guard in March when they applied the franchise tag to Thuney. Even after that point, many believed that the tag was Step One towards a tag-and-trade. Instead, the Patriots tagged Thuney with the intention of keeping him and they had some talks with his camp about a multi-year arrangement.
Lately, there hasn’t been much momentum on that front. Frankly, it would be off-brand for the Patriots to pay top dollar for players as they approach free agency, and the current climate doesn’t help matters.
Thuney, 28 in November, has started in all 64 of his games for the Pats over the last three seasons. And, over the last two seasons, he’s graded out as one of the league’s five best offensive guards in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics.
Yannick Ngakoue Willing To Play On Tag, If Traded
Desperate times call for desperate measures. If another team is able to work out a trade with the Jaguars, Yannick Ngakoue is willing to drop his demand for a long-term extension, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears.
[RELATED: Yannick Ngakoue Drawing Trade Interest]
Ngakoue’s push for a lucrative multi-year deal was long believed to be a barrier for a trade. Ngakoue’s willingness to play out 2020 on his one-year, $17.788MM tender may help matters, but the Jaguars are still resistant to actually move him. At last check, the Jaguars were asking for a first-round pick, and then some. It was hard to imagine another team coughing up that kind of draft capital and giving Ngakoue a monster deal. Still, giving up a first-round pick for what could be a one-year rental is also a tough sell.
With at least eight sacks in each of his four NFL seasons – including 12.5 sacks in 2017 – the former third-round pick has outperformed expectations by every measure. Still, the advanced metrics indicate that his sack numbers might be a fluke. Meanwhile, there are still plenty of proven veteran edge rushers available on the open market, all of whom would cost less than Ngakoue in 2020. Of course, Jadeveon Clowney is seeking a deal in the range of Ngakoue’s $17.78MM, but it’s likely that he’ll wind up settling for a little less.
The Eagles, Seahawks, and Browns would make varying degrees of sense for Ngakoue, but none of those teams are as desperate to land the defensive end as he is to get out of Jacksonville.
Cowboys, Dak Prescott Haven’t Had Talks In Weeks
Deadlines tend to spur action, but today’s deadline probably won’t move the needle for Dak Prescott and the Cowboys. The two sides are not expected to hammer out an extension by 4pm ET/3pm CT, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
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In fact, the Cowboys haven’t talked with their franchise-tag quarterback in weeks, according to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Their last chat took place on June 22 – since then, it’s been dead quiet. Barring a major change, Prescott will become just the third quarterback in NFL history to actually play out the season on his franchise tender, joining Drew Brees and Kirk Cousins (twice).
Prescott will earn $31.4MM this year, and the Cowboys won’t be able to resume talks with him until after the season. If Prescott manages to turn in a full season that mirrors his exceptional first-half of 2019, he’ll be in line for an absolute fortune. Next year’s tag would cost the Cowboys $37.7MM, a number that’s basically unworkable for a team that’s already top-heavy in salary. Beyond that, there’s also the possibility of a major NFL-wide cap reduction, though that would impact players in equal measure.
Prescott, 27, has been aiming to top Russell Wilson‘s $35MM-per-year deal. There’s been some chatter about Patrick Mahomes‘ $45MM/year deal working to Prescott’s advantage, but that probably won’t serve as a comp for his camp. Prescott has been seeking a deal on the shorter side and Mahomes’ deal goes for ten years.